Life in Texas Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Walls of the Alamo?

Researchers working to restore the Alamo have unearthed Spanish colonial adobe bricks at a dig site in Alamo Plaza. What is not yet known is whether those bricks may have comprised part of the historic shrine’s original western wall. More analysis may reveal the architectural function of the colonial-era bricks.

According to archaeologist Nesta Anderson, there is a possibility that the bricks uncovered only two feet below the surface are part of the original mission because they clearly form part of a larger wall structure . “Because we’ve got something from the Spanish colonial period, we know we are digging in the right place. Now we know we can get information from the ground over here that will support the master plan and the reinterpretation.”

The dig is part of a plan by the state and local officials to restore and refurbish the Alamo. According to the officials in charge of the Alamo project, their work will hopefully unearth the original western and southern walls. In December, the state purchased three buildings on Alamo Plaza that housed tourist traps such as Guiness World Records Musuem and a Ripley’s Odditorium. The purchase was the first step by the Alamo Endowment Board and the city of San Antonio to move forward with plans to de-campify the area around the historic mission. Last October, the endowment, city and Texas signed an agreement to develop a master plan for the district with a focus on historic preservation and a dignified treatment for the site.

Discovery of the bricks on Friday marked a major step toward uncovering the construction history of the world-famous Texas landmark.